By Andrew Warshaw
August 28 – Former South African political prisoner turned human rights icon Tokyo Sexwale says he is still unsure whether to take on UEFA president Michel Platini and South Korea’s former FIFA vice-president Chung Mong-joon in the race to succeed Sepp Blatter as FIFA president next February, but will make a decision “in due course”.
In a conference call with international news agencies, Sexwale declined to commit himself one way or the other, with two months to go before the deadline for nominations.
“I will make my mind very, very clear in due course but obviously we are headed for a situation where FIFA is looking forward to have a new president and I will leave the matter there,” he said.
FIFA has set an October 26 deadline for contenders, who have to be nominated by at least five national federations, to come forward. Platini is the current favourite and was due to hold his first news conference later today since launching his campaign last month.
While Platini, the early front-runner, will be supported by Europe and is likely to pick up votes in Asia, north and south America, Africa’s 54-strong membership, most of whom were loyal supporters of Blatter, will prove a tough nut to crack for the Frenchman, all the more so if the continent puts up its own credible candidate.
Influential stakeholders have been pushing for a globally respected figure with no connection to FIFA’s tainted hierarchy to stand and Sexwale fits the bill perfectly. A close friend of the late former South African president Nelson Mandela, with whom he spent 13 years on Robben Island, Sexwale was a post-Apartheid government minister before moving into business.
Speaking during a conference call about his work as head of the FIFA panel trying to create a breakthrough in Israeli-Palestinian football relations, Sexwale said he would visit both areas next month.
“There is no harm in giving this another try,” he said of FIFA’s efforts to forge an agreement in the region after several stalled attempts. “I’m feeling confident after seeing the team spirit today, as both associations have confirmed their intention to promote dialogue.”
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